How the Democrats need to approach Iraq

Josh Marshall posted an email he reveived from TPM reader RC. RC described the position the Democrats need to take on the Iraq War:

"I'd like to see the main Democratic talking point become, "Bush will be in Iraq forever. Period. The Democrats will extricate us. Period." And let the administration convince the public otherwise. I think if the Dems just keep saying, over and over, "Republicans want us there forever, that's why we have no timetables, that's why THEY ARE building permanent bases, etc.," this would be a useful evolution of the basic description of the situation."

Then TPM Reader TM goes on to point out that the demand that the Democrats actually offer a specific plan is unreal. No Democratic plan can be implemented or even described at this time.

"I think the notion that there has to be a unified Democratic plan on Iraq shows a complete misreading of the political situation. Bush is the President until 2009. The Dems won't have any means of actually implementing any plan they come up with for 2.5 years, at the earliest. Additionally, any plan created now would be done without even knowing who the (hopefully) Democratic President in 2008 would be, or whether he or she would have any support for this hypothetical plan. All of this makes any plan created now worse than useless - not adding value and merely serving as a target for GOP attacks."

The problem will be that the Republicans will demand an alternate plan. Democrats need to resist and stick to the sound byte "Bush will be in Iraq forever. Period. The Democrats will extricate us. Period." and go on to prove the point that Bush will be there forever. (The permanent bases, the refusal to set a timetable for redeployment, and his statement that the next President will have to get America out of Iraq.)